Method for cleaning surfaces

ABSTRACT

A method for cleaning a bedridden patient hygienically wherein a washing medium under pressure is applied to a localized area of the patient&#39;&#39;s skin by means of a hand-manipulatable nozzle, and the discharged washing medium and contaminants on the skin are substantially immediately thereafter withdrawn through the nozzle by suction.

11] States 1 Dec. 10, 1.974

[ METHOD FOR CLEANING SURFACES [75] Inventor: Siiren Sollerud, Norrkoping, Sweden [73] Assignee: Svenska Utvecklingsaktiebolaget,

Stockholm, Sweden [22] Filed: Nov. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 308,956

Related U.S. Application Data [60] Continuation of Ser. No. 99,293, Dec. 17, 1970,

abandoned, which is a division of Ser. No. 786,988, Dec. 26, 1968, Pat. No. 3,574,239.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 12, 1968 Sweden 448/68 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,359,985 11/1920 Gromer 4/158 1,451,437 4/1923 Bernier 4/158 X 1,929,345 10/1933 Brown et a1, 15/321 2,168,692 8/1939 Vidal 2,999,258 9/1961 Berbenan 1. 15/321 X 3,079,285 2/1963 Rockwell 15/321 X 3,089,790 5/1963 Balamuth et a1 134 21 x 3,538,535 11/1970 Ginsburgh et a1. 15/302 3,575,712 4/1971 Pembroke et a1 134/6 3,594,849 7/1971 Coshow 134/6 X 3,626,941 12/1971 Webb 128/248 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 449,826 3/1913 France 134/6 463,735 4/1937 Great Britain 486,500 6/1938 Great Britain 134/21 Primary Examiner-Barry S. Richman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Fitch, Even, Tabin & Luedeka 5 7] ABSTRACT 8 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures METHOD FOR CLEANING SURFACES This is a continuation of application, Ser. No. 99,293, filed Dec. 17, 1970 is now abandoned, which is a division of application Ser. No. 786,988, filed Dec. 26, 1968, US. Pat. No. 3,574,239.

This invention relates to a cleaning method and arrangement and particularly to a method and arrangement for cleaning surfaces.

It has always been a problem to wash surfaces, which are difficult to access or sensitive. This problem, however, was particularly great in hospitals and similar places with concern to patients who are bedridden or have a restricted power of motion.

I It is generally known that of the three usual bodycleaning methods: washing, bathing and douching the lastmentioned method is to be recommended most from a hygienic point of view. In nursing, however, where the hygiene requirements are particularly high, this method has proved not only difficult but even impossible to be applied to bedridden patients. The possibilities available today for the washing of patients confined to their beds are restricted to the use of washingflannels or bathsponges, which are damped in water to which soap or another detergent has been added, folstitutes an obstruction to the recruiting of laboiir for these nursing professions.

ln hospitals for infectious diseases and in other nursing sections involving great risks of infection one tries to isolate the infection by providing a bath-room and water-closet for the individual patient. It is desired to burn up all refuse from such nursing places. This is possible as far as bladder and intestinal secretions are concerned whichcan be collected in plastic bags filled with wood dust or the like. Such a method is troublesome and at times even impossible to be carried out when it refers to used bath or washing water. Moreover,.from a discharge technical point-of view the bathtub provides a protection which'is most ineffective against micro-organic return flow. 1

Sterilization of water in necessary quantities, or. the supply and storage of fresh water, for obtaining a fully satisfactory hygiene, if these measures are taken at all, involve considerable investments of material and personnel.

The aforementioned drawbacks and deficiencies with concern to hygiene can be doubled many times over, and all of them also can be eliminated if the water-traps and sewer were not restricted to their place, further if the water flow could be controlled so as only to be brought into contact with the placeto be washed, if the water volume could be reduced to the small percentage of molecules, which really are active in the cleaning process, and if the cleaning process could be carried out without manual contact with the soiled place.

The present invention has as its object to eliminate the shortcomings involved in the present washing methods.

The invention relates to a method of washing bedridden patients in an easy, quick and lenient manner, and

it is characterized -in that a washing medium of originally small volume is made voluminous and is continuously supplied locally to the skin of the patient where it acts for a short time, and is removed for disinfection together with impurities washed off.

The invention also includes an arrangement for carrying out the method, which arrangement substantially principle of generating the washing medium to such a form, that both the washing medium and its. localization when being applied can be controlled. This can be achieved, for example, by adding surface-active substances to the water in a closed vessel and thereafter by filtered compressed air to effect a foam of suitable density and duration.

By directing the prepared foam directly from the generator to the zone in question on the patients body, via a flexible hose provided with an exchangeable end nozzle of, for example, foamed plastic; the greatest possible protection against infection by the washing medium is obtained. In the immediate vicinity of or concentrically with the washing nozzle an exchangeable suction nozzle is mounted which'preferably can be made of foamed plastic, whereby it is possible with one and the same motion to supply the washing medium, to wash and to suck up used washing medium. As a complement a special foam-wetted suction hose of greaterdimension is-provided for sucking up possible intestinal secretions, vomitings etc.

The invention is described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the accompanying drawing showing an embodiment of the arrangement to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the arrangement according to the present invention.

P16. 2 shows in principle how the arrangement is applied.

In a cart '1 an electric compressor 2 is mounted and provided with a bacteria filter 3 for the input air, which subsequent to its compression via a pipe 4 is directed out through an atomizing nozzle 5 into a liquid vessel 6 containing a solution of, for example, 99 percent water and 1 percent surface-active substance. The air flow gives rise to the formation of foam, whichvia a hose 7 is pressed out through a nozzle 8 provided with an exchangeable bath-sponge. 9. The nozzle 8 includes a concentric passageway extending about the bathsponge 9 the outer edge of which is provided with an exchangeable ring 10 of air-permeable foamed plastic. The concentric passageway communicates via a hose ill, a three-way valve 12 and a safety valve 13 with an electric vacuum pump 14, which on its pressure side is connected with a pressure container 15 provided with an outlet valve 16 and a spring-loaded valve 17, which opens at an overpressure of approx. one atmosphere whereafter the dischargd air is urged to pass through a cleaner 18 consisting of an electric filament spiral. The aforementioned three-way valve 12 can, if required, be adusted so as to connect a pipe connecting-piece 19 with the vacuum pump 14, instead of the suction passageway in the washing nozzle 8. Said conr'tecting-piece 19 comprises an upright connection to the three-way according valve and a laterally directed connection to a hose 20, and, besides, it is formed on its lower surface so as to provide a holding portion for a detachable container 21 of transparent material. The hose 20 is connected to a suction nozzle 22, which is provided with an exchangeable contact safety device 23 of nonrigid plastic, and which, besides, is provided with recesses for the inlet of air in order not to impede the air flow, and also with holes corresponding to passageways arranged in the suction nozzle 22, which passageways via a hose 24 are connected to the vessel 6 and hose 7 through the valve 25. The pipe connection 19-23 is intended for sucking up intestinal secretions, vomitings etc.

A patient lying in bed is washed in the manner as follows. After the washing medium (the surface-activated water) has been filled in and washing agent as well as possibly other agents desired for the patient have been added, the apparatus is moved to the patient where it is connected to an electric wall socket and prepared with new or cleaned nozzles and sponges. Thereafter the patient is uncovered. If the patient is found to be heavily soiled by evacuations from the bowel or of other type, first this coarse substance is removed by the evacuation suction nozzle 22, after the three-way valves 12 and 25 had been adjusted to sucking action and foam supply, respectively, in said nozzle, whereby also highly adhesive impurities can be sucked up and transported via the hose 20 to the container 21. Thereafter the threeway valves 12 and 25 are adjusted to sucking action and foam supply, respectively, in the nozzle -8, and the washing procedure is commenced. The nurse washes the patient from the head downwards, and by alternatingly starting and stopping both the compressor and the vacuum pump the nurse can control the supply of foam as well as the time for washing by using the sponge.

From 3 .litres'of surface-activated water approx. 60 litres foam are obtained which, after it was sucked up and compressed in a pressure container 15, is given a volume of approx. litres. A quantity of approx. 3 litres foam is sufficient for washing a patient soiled to an average extent.

The safety valve 13 is set for avacuum limit, which is of no danger to the patient, and it starts operation when the ring 10 or the contact safety device 23 for some reason does not allowair to pass through.

Other embodiments of the invention can be imagined without abandoning the idea of the invention, such as stationary installations with connections for washing medium and vacuum located near the patient's bed, and systems .with entirely separated washing and suction nozzles. I

To the washing medium may also be added antiseptic or other agents recommended by a physician. The design of the invention also allows for medical treatment possibilities where'the physician individually can prescribe a therapeutic agent to be added to the washing medium. The liquid vessel 6 of the apparatus is provided with inlet ducts for medical additives, and the collecting containers 1-5 and 21 are provided with inlet ducts for disinfecting agents possibly added.

It is easy to realize the considerable advantages offered by the invention. The costs for washiing a patient are substantially reduced both due to the low costs of the generated washing medium and by the capacity rendered possible by the invention. The washing procedure involves for the patient and the staff a socialethical improvement, which has a favorable effect on the hard-working nursing. As a result of the invention can be mentioned the possibility of reducing in nursing the expensive nosocomial infections. The entire washing procedure and the operation of the apparatus re quires only one person, and the patient need not be lifted but has only to be turned on his side, in which position the patient, if necessary, can'be supported during the washing procedure by a plastic cushion. As the apparatus operates substantially noiselessly, the patients are not subjected to any disturbing noises. Owing to the large capacity of the arrangement all patients, whether they are confined to their beds or not, can be washed within the ward and, thus, the usual time-consuming transport to the bathing-department is not longer necessary.

As a complement to the apparatus, a liquidlubricated evacuation sucking device with a throwaway container for the collection of evacuations can be mounted, and it also is possible to add to the washing medium skin-stimulating agents, antiseptics or other agentsrecommended by a physician, which in combination with the careful washing according to this method render it possible also to wash patients who under other circumstances must be washed with cotton and spirits.

The effectiveness with respect to volume can be understood by a comparison between the 3 litres of washing medium and the'resulting up to 800 litres of foam, depending on the density of the foam, which are sufficient for a total washing of lOO patients soiled to an average extent. a

The apparatus can also be provided with connections for washing nozzles and evacuation sucking device, so that the entire apparatus can be flushed with a circulating disinfecting liquid.

Conclusively it may be mentioned, that the continuously increasing use of antibiotics in nursing enforces the production of increasingly vigorous virus. Against these virus one tries to defend oneself, above allby using throw-away material to the greatest possible extent. It can be safely assumed, therefore, that within a few years it will be desirable to destroy after every washing both the washing nozzle and the hoses as well as the internal equipment in the vacuum pump. The economic possibilities therefor are not insurmountable in connection with the arrangement according to the invention. 1

The invention though having been shown and described in connection with the washing of bedridden patients is, of course, not restricted thereto. The invention is extremelywell adapted a.o. also for the washing of surfaces with difficult access, such as ceilings and wall sections located at a great height, in which case the washing nozzle can be mounted on a long rod or a pipe. The advantage offered by the invention is obvious. The entire cleaning process is carried in one moment and the washed surface section is left clean and dry or substantially dry. No washing sponges or brushes nor running water or drying flannels are required. The work itself is clean, easily and rapidly performed and renders an optimum results.

What I claim is:

1. A method for the hygienic washing of bedridden patients comprising forming a foam of a hygienic washing material, applying the foam under pressure to a selected area of the patients body to be washed and sub-v stantially immediately thereafter withdrawing said foam under suction from the selected area to remove impurities from and to disinfect the selected area.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the application of the foam to the selected area is carried out througha nozzle and the withdrawal of the foam is carried out peripherally of the nozzle.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein, before the foam is applied through the said nozzle, foam is applied under pressure to the selected area in an annular configuration and is then removed by suction centrally of the foam applied in the annular configuration for the removal of foam and coarse impurities.

4. A method for cleaning a bedridden patient hygienically with minimum disturbance of the patient, comprising the steps of; providing a source of washing medium which may be moved to the vicinity of the patient to be cleaned, applying the washing medium under pressure to a localized area of the patients skin by means of a hand-manipulatable application nozzle having an exchangeable surface engageable with the patients skin and through which the washing medium is discharged onto the patients skin, withdrawing the discharged washing medium from the localized area of the patients skin generally underlying the application nozzle by suction to draw the washing medium and the contaminants removed from the skin through the nozzle, and thereafter repeating said steps as said application nozzle is selectively moved over the patients skin and said washing medium is discharged onto the patients skin and withdrawn therefrom by means of said application nozzle. 5

5. A method as defined in claim 4 including the further step of passing the withdrawn washing medium and contaminants removed from the patients skin to a collecting container.

6..A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said washing medium comprises a foam consisting of an aerated foamable liquid washing medium.

7. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said application nozzle has first opening means through which said washing medium is discharged, said application nozzle having second opening means peripherally disposed about said first opening means and through which the washing medium is withdrawn.

8. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said application nozzle has discharge opening means defining a generally annular discharge pattern through which said washing medium is discharged, said application nozzle further having a suction opening disposed centrally of said annular discharge pattern through which said washing medium and contaminants may be withdrawn from the skin of the patient. 

1. A METHOD FOR THE HYGENIC WASHING OF BEDRIDDEN PATIENTS COMPRISING FORMING A FOAM OF A HYGENIC WASHING MATERIAL, APPLYING THE FOAM UNDER PRESSURE TO A SELECTED AREA OF THE PATIENT''S BODY TO BE WASHED AND SUBSTANTIALLY IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER WITHDRAWING SAID FOAM UNDER SUCTION FROM THE SELECTED AREA TO REMOVE IMPURITIES FROM AND TO DISINFECT THE SELECTED AREA.
 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the application of the foam to the selected area is carried out through a nozzle and the withdrawal of the foam is carried out peripherally of the nozzle.
 3. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein, before the foam is applied through the said nozzle, foam is applied under pressure to the selected area in an annular configuration and is then removed by suction centrally of the foam applied in the annular configuration for the removal of foam and coarse impurities.
 4. A method for cleaning a bedridden patient hygienically with minimum disturbance of the patient, comprising the steps of; providing a source of washing medium which may be moved to the vicinity of the patient to be cleaned, applying the washing medium under pressure to a localized area of the patient''s skin by means of a hand-manipulatable application nOzzle having an exchangeable surface engageable with the patient''s skin and through which the washing medium is discharged onto the patient''s skin, withdrawing the discharged washing medium from the localized area of the patient''s skin generally underlying the application nozzle by suction to draw the washing medium and the contaminants removed from the skin through the nozzle, and thereafter repeating said steps as said application nozzle is selectively moved over the patient''s skin and said washing medium is discharged onto the patient''s skin and withdrawn therefrom by means of said application nozzle.
 5. A method as defined in claim 4 including the further step of passing the withdrawn washing medium and contaminants removed from the patient''s skin to a collecting container.
 6. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said washing medium comprises a foam consisting of an aerated foamable liquid washing medium.
 7. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said application nozzle has first opening means through which said washing medium is discharged, said application nozzle having second opening means peripherally disposed about said first opening means and through which the washing medium is withdrawn.
 8. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said application nozzle has discharge opening means defining a generally annular discharge pattern through which said washing medium is discharged, said application nozzle further having a suction opening disposed centrally of said annular discharge pattern through which said washing medium and contaminants may be withdrawn from the skin of the patient. 